http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/224 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 12:23:21 GMT 2026-04-08T12:23:21Z http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/959 Abstract Book: 2nd Annual Virtual Conference ANU, Institute of Research INTRODUCTION: None of us must think so deeply to realize that we need increased attention to finding local solutions to some of our society’s problems. Colonialism, Neo-colonialism, Climate Change, underdevelopment, rural/urban migration, continental brain-drain—these are just some of the reasons why we need to search for local solutions. Here in Africa especially, we need to free ourselves from dependency mentality on our former Western colonizers and our current Eastern colonizers. We need to de-colonize our minds, our economies, our politics, our entertainment—and appreciate more the solutions our local minds and cultures and societies may offer. This conference presentation entails paper topics from researchers related to many of those 17 Millennium Development Goals. This conference is timely, important, and necessary. Having the foregoing scenario in mind, Africa Nazarene University (ANU), through the Institute of Research (IOR), organized a virtual conference on 27th – 28th October 2022. The theme of the conference: “Transforming Africa through Local Solutions: A New Paradigm for Research, Innovation and Development”. One of the key roles of a conference like this is to interrogate and disseminate the knowledge these researchers are bringing to us. We recognize and honor all the individuals that presented during the conference, and appreciate the hours of effort collecting data and putting papers together. Most of all, we thank our God, who in his own way did the first bit of research and creation of new knowledge when He spoke the world into existence. This book presents the abstracts of the presentations at the conference. Other than faculty, students, were also encouraged to share their study in order to improve their research skills and conference experiences; every presentation helped the conference’s primary goal get accomplished. By: Prof. Rodney Reed, Deputy Vice chancellor, Academic & Student Affairs Abstract Book 2nd Annual Virtual Conference Sat, 01 Oct 2022 00:00:00 GMT http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/959 2022-10-01T00:00:00Z http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/958 Abstract Book: 1st Annual Virtual Conference Ongiti, Orpha K. (Editor) PREFACE: The single most important event to affect the entire human race in the first two years of the second decade of the 21st Century was the onset and continuation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even now that effect continues. As of the time of this writing, according to the World Health Organization, there were over 500 million confirmed cases globally and over six million confirmed deaths due to COVID-19. Elsewhere within the health sector, social-psychological heath has been negatively affected by the pandemic. Beyond the health effects, the pandemic has taken an immense economic toll. Nearly every sector of the global economy has been disrupted: travel, finance, global supply chains, human resource management, just to name a few. As economies closed down, National GDPs slumped while Poverty indices jumped. Governments responded with economic stimulus packages designed to provide some level of cushion to their fragile economies. No less has the global education sector been affected. Schools closed, students were sent home and when some educational institutions migrated online, issues of access and equitability were raised immediately. These are just some of the disruptive effects of the pandemic on our lives! But humans are a resilient lot! They can adapt and adjust. The past two years have seen countless small and large-scale adaptations to the disruption caused by the pandemic, including Zoom meetings, work from home policies, blended or hybrid learning, online exam proctoring systems, accelerated development and approval of vaccines, better and more effective coordination of national and global health agencies. Some jobs were lost, but other jobs were created. The pandemic, with all its hardship, brought new business, health and educational opportunities and has served as a catalyst for change in nearly every sector and every corner of our world. Without question, the pandemic has brought on a paradigm shift and a “new normal” from which humanity will likely never retreat. In all of this, research institutions have an important role to play in helping the society at-large to sort out what has happened, to advise on how society should adapt, and then to monitor and evaluate the positive or negative outcomes of those adaptations. Having the foregoing scenario in mind, Africa Nazarene University (ANU), through the Institute of Research (IOR), organized a virtual conference on 13 – 14 October 2021. The theme of the conference: COVID -19 Response and Resilience: Multi-Sectoral Adaptations, Re-engineering and Innovative Approaches to Recovery. The main objective of the conference was to share the COVID-19 pandemic experiences, lessons learned, research findings, innovations, and presumed solutions to inform policy for the future operations, especially amid the pandemic. The conference drew participants from academia, industry, business, religious sector, science and technology, environment and natural resources, industry, legal society, and a cross-section of professionals across the globe. This book presents the abstracts of the presentations at the conference. Note that some abstracts are not in line with the theme; students were encouraged to share their research work to enhance their research skills and improve conference experiences. Nonetheless, all presentations contributed to the achievement of the main objective of the conference. Prof. Rodney L. Reed, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Academic, Research, and Student Affairs Abstract Book 1st Annual Virtual Conference Fri, 01 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/958 2021-10-01T00:00:00Z http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/873 Abstract Book Ongiti, Orpha K. The Kenyan banking industry has been facing stiff competition from new entrants like mobile phone companies, international banks, and SACCOs. This led to a steady decline in banks’ financial results over the years, as reflected in their profit margins. In an attempt to wither competition, they adopted market expansion strategies to realize a more extensive customer base like opening new branches and operating beyond Kenyan borders. Hence, this research aims to examine value creation strategies and the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The specific objectives were to establish the effect of cost reduction, revenue-raising, elimination of non-productive and financial innovation strategies on the performance of commercial banks. The study also sought to determine the moderating effect of bank size on the relationship between value creation strategies and the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. The study was informed by the innovation theory, value innovation theory, concentration-stability, concentration-fragility theory, and Schumpeter’s Innovation Theory of Profit. The study targeted all the 41 commercial banks in Kenya. Senior finance and senior operations managers working in the headquarters of the commercial banks were targeted from each bank. The study used both primary and secondary data. Primary data was collected using questionnaires while Secondary information was acquired from the commercial banks’ audited financial statements for the period 2014 to 2018. The obtained quantitative data through questionnaires was keyed into the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) computer software (version 22) for analysis. Both primary and secondary data results revealed that cost reduction, revenue-raising, elimination of non-productive elimination, and financial innovation strategies had a positive and significant correlation with the performance of commercial banks. Findings also indicated that bank size had a moderating effect on the relationship between value creation strategies and the performance of commercial banks in Kenya. Therefore, the study recommended that bank management establish measures that reduce operating, overhead, marketing and staff costs to boost their performance. In addition, commercial banks also ought to eliminate products and services that have extremely low-profit margins, retrench staff and agents whose services have been rendered redundant, and adopt business realignment to exit business lines that have high costs and low-profit margins so as they enhance their organizational performance. They ought to continuously launch new services and products to meet customer requirements. These should include real-time and electronic transactions since they enable the bank to serve customers and positively affect commission fee-based income effectively. Policymakers have to be wary of the increasing level of competition in the banking industry and put in place appropriate competitive strategies to mitigate the challenges that come with the competition. These competitive strategies will enhance their performance and eventual survival in the industry. Wed, 13 Oct 2021 00:00:00 GMT http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/873 2021-10-13T00:00:00Z http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/872 Postgraduate (ANU) Research Handbook Africa Nazarene University Sat, 27 Apr 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/872 2019-04-27T00:00:00Z http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/391 Africa Speaks: An Anthology of the Africa Nazarene Theology Conference 2003 Reed, L. Rodney; Ed. Braaten, Linda Wed, 01 Jan 2003 00:00:00 GMT http://repository.anu.ac.ke/handle/123456789/391 2003-01-01T00:00:00Z